


Things That Never Happened: Archer/Tucker

by wheel_pen



Series: Viridian Mal [54]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fish out of Water, Imprinting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-19
Updated: 2013-04-19
Packaged: 2017-12-08 23:11:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/767172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheel_pen/pseuds/wheel_pen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU of the Mal universe. A short scene in which Mal impedes Jon and Trip’s relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Things That Never Happened: Archer/Tucker

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Viridians appear human, but are actually aliens who imprint on other people (Viridian or otherwise) and form a bond with them. They also live their entire life cycle in about six Earth years.
> 
> 2\. In each series, a different character is a Viridian, who was raised by mean Klingons on an outpost. An Enterprise crewmember is captured by the Klingons and they inadvertently form a bond with the Viridian, who helps them escape. Then they return to rescue the Viridian and bring them aboard the Enterprise. The Viridian homeworld is contacted and the Enterprise crew learn the Viridian will most likely die if they are sent away. So they end up staying on the Enterprise, and the crewmember has to adjust.
> 
> 3\. The bad words are censored. That’s just how I do things.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this AU. I own nothing and appreciate the chance to play in this universe.

Jon didn't know what had awakened him. Certainly not Trip, who looked so young and peaceful and innocent when fast asleep, his face only inches from Jon's. Jon knew, however, that he only _appeared_ innocent, in fact had recent first-hand knowledge of exactly how delightfully non-innocent Trip could be. He studied him in the dim starlight—the funny little slope of his nose, the laugh lines around his mouth, the furry swath of hair across his chest, the way the muscles in all three of his arms shifted just a little as he breathed...

Wait a minute.

Jon knew Trip was extraordinary. But he was pretty sure he didn't have a third arm.

Or at least he hadn't as of a few hours ago, when it really would have been useful on a couple of occasions.

Trying to move slowly, so as not to wake, well, whoever, Jon pushed himself up enough to peer over Trip's shoulder. Pale skin, dark hair, nose literally pressed up against the back of Trip's neck, sound asleep. Mal.

Jon resisted the urge to yank the covers up to his chin and shriek like an old lady. I mean, sometimes Porthos had jumped into bed with them, but this was a little ridiculous. He dragged the covers a little higher anyway and gave Trip a poke in the shoulder, trying to wake him quietly. It took several pokes, each more insistent than the last, until Jon began to wonder just what the point was in trying to be quiet.

Finally Trip stirred, blinking his eyes open sleepily. Jon saw the exact moment Trip remembered they were in bed together and melted all over again, even before Trip gave him a lazy grin. "Mornin' already?" he asked groggily.

"Not quite," Jon whispered.

Misinterpreting his answer, Trip's grin grew even larger. "Couldn't wait for me to wake up on my own, huh? I'll take that as a compliment..."

Jon put a hand on his chest to keep him from closing the distance between them, and Trip gave him a questioning look. "You seem to have grown an extra appendage in the night," Jon pointed out dryly, glancing down.

Trip grinned, misinterpreting again. It seemed like everything Jon said to him was going straight to the gutter. "Well I think 'third leg' is probably a _bit_ of an exaggeration, but I'll take all the flattery I can get..."

"Um, no, I mean—"

At that moment Trip looked down himself and saw what Jon was really talking about. Then Trip yanked the covers up to his chin, shrieked like an old lady, and threw himself away from his newest bedmate with enough force to knock Jon to the floor on one side, and Mal to the floor on the other. Much thumping and cursing ensued, followed by more cursing when the lights came on and blinded everyone.

Then Trip said, "Oh. It's just Mal. What were you getting so worked up over, Jon? Some of us need our sleep, you know." Promptly he turned the lights back off, flopped back down on the mattress with most of the covers wrapped around him, and fell back to sleep.

Moving a bit stiffly, Mal and Jon worked themselves back up to their knees on either side of the bed, peering at each other over Trip's sprawling, blanket-swaddled form. "Hi," Jon began.

"Hello," Mal returned politely.

"So," Jon continued.

"Yes," Mal replied.

"Human couples who are intimate usually don't have a third person sleep in the bed with them," Jon explained in a rush.

"You weren't being intimate at the moment," Mal countered. "If you wanted to actually _be_ intimate, naturally I would leave."

Oh. Naturally. "Should we have a code word?" Jon asked, slightly sarcastic. "A hand signal, maybe?"

"Trip's emotions will be signal enough," Mal replied coolly. "If they aren't you're doing something wrong."

Ouch. Sting. "Maybe you could go back to Trip's cabin to sleep?"

"I have to sleep with Trip." Jon narrowed his gaze at the dark-haired alien. "I suppose I could sleep on the floor, if you'd rather." Jon was about to agree to that concession when Mal added snottily, "With the _dog_."

Now Jon was really starting to get ticked. He could command eighty-three people aboard Starfleet's first warp five ship in deep space, but he couldn't get one pesky alien out of his bedroom? "I'm sure you could manage to sleep by yourself a few nights," he stated, gritting his teeth.

"You mean _every_ night," Mal corrected, in a similar tone. "Since you two go at it like Denevian bunnies."

"You don't know anything about Denevian bunnies," Jon shot back petulantly.

"Well _you_ don't know anything about _kaldins_ and _ragnishes_ ," Mal retorted. "On Viridia no one would choose someone they _mate_ with over their _ragnish_."

" _You_ don't know anything about Viridia! You were raised by Klingons!" It was a low blow, but Jon was kneeling naked on his own floor in the middle of the night; he was in no mood to be fair. "And I don't know what Klingon mating rituals involve, but—"

"A lot of bloodshed," Mal sniped.

"SHUT UP!" Trip suddenly yelled. "I'm tryin' to sleep here. So get back in bed and go to sleep, or get out."

"It's _my_ cabin," Jon pointed out indignantly.

Trip looked him right in the eye. "Either your Chief Engineer gets his sleep in, or your g‑‑‑‑‑n ship doesn't fly straight tomorrow."

"Okay, okay," Jon conceded. He had never realized Trip could get so demanding. He was afraid he found it a little cute.

Mal? Not so much. They both glared at each other as they slipped back into bed, Jon fighting for more of the covers as he was, as previously noted, naked. The bunk wasn't big enough for them all unless at least two people turned on their sides, which would have to be Mal and Jon as Trip seemed to have no intention of minimizing his spatial use at the moment.

"We're going to talk about this later," Jon hissed across Trip's back.

Mal merely gave him a poisonous look and burrowed against Trip with a familiarity Jon found shocking and a little jealousy-inducing. Which, judging by the expression on Mal's face, was exactly what he had been going for. Jon set his jaw and laid down as close as he could to Trip on the other side, vowing not to be upstaged. He was the Captain, after all.


End file.
